Oct. 22, 2005
 
UPLAND NEWS BRIEFS: WV DHHR Pays $500,000 to Settle Freezing Death Case; Virginia Tourism Increased Almost 9% in 2004 Over 2003
 
Compiled By William Paine Bluefield News Network Writer
 
Charleston, WV (BNN) --The West Virginia State Department of Health and Human Resources agree to pay $850,000 to relatives of a 5-day old boy who froze to death last December in the Beckley area. Jonathon Coffman died from hypothermia in the house of his mentally impaired mother Sherry Coffman. She was under the care of the DHHR. A lawsuit brought by the boy’s uncle said DHHR case workers knew that Mrs. Coffman’s house had no heat but failed to act.
 
According to the settlement, Sherry Coffman will receive $200,000. Coffman’s 3-year-old daughter will receive in excess of $300,000. Jonathon Coffman’s uncle Timothy, who brought the suit will receive $50,000.
 
Virginia Attracted 36 Million Tourists in 2004
 
Richmond, VA (BNN) -- According to the Virginia governor’s office, travelers spending in the Commonwealth increased by 8.6 percent last from 2003. Thirty six million tourists visited Virginia in 2004 putting 15.3 billion dollars in the economy.
 
According to two different studies, over 300,000 overseas tourists and nearly half a million Canadians visited Virginia in 2004.
 
More than 42 percent of Virginia’s nearly 36 million person trips came from eight market areas including: New York City, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Charlotte and Atlanta.